Swords and Blades
by lhklan The Unpronounceable
Summary: During a mission, Sephiria Arks rans into a mysterious swordsman. The next day, she meets him again, only this time, he's working as a chef. Just who is this Emiya Shirou?
1. Chapter 1

FSN/Black Cat

**Swords and Blades**

First fanfic go easy on me guys.

**Genre:**Romance/Action

**Rating:**T

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Black Cat nor FSN, their world belongs to Yabuki Kentarou and Kinoko Nasu respectively.

**Chapter 1: First meeting**

It was quiet.

Sephiria Arks, Chronos's Number 1, walked carefully through the corridor, sword at the ready. She has infiltrated this mansion to kill a group of rather disgusting individuals. This particular group, led by a man named Shinji Makoto, are mostly kidnapper and slave trader. Their target is women from the age of 15-25 and they sell them to whoever pays the most. They were also supposedly one of the most highly protected groups, usually by their customer hiring some of the worst scumbag in the underworld.

Keyword being supposedly.

Ever since she stepped foot in this mansion 15 minutes ago, she have seen no guard at all. As she rounded the corner leading into the main hall, she now has inkling to what happened to them.

For there, on the floor, lie around a dozen men, their bodies' looks as if they were slashed and pierced by swords.

Inspecting a body that lay apart from the first group, she notices that it belongs to Griffith, a rather famous mercenary. This one was also covered with slash wounds.

'Whoever did this was good.' She noted to herself. Looking around, Sephiria begin to follow a trail of body with similar fate. Hearing a small sound, she rushes at the direction where it was coming from. The closer she got to it, the more body she found. Finally, she reached a large double door. Readying her sword, she cautiously opens the door. What she saw was a sight that she doubts she would forget.

There, standing amidst a pile of corpse, which was still spewing blood, was a spiky haired young man. His features were hard to distinguish, but what caught her attention was the pair of blades in his hands. One was ebony black, the other was silver white.

"Identify yourself" Sephiria point her sword, Christ, toward the masked male.

Wordlessly, he turns around. From her observation, Sephiria estimated the opponent to be a male, about 20 to 30 years old. He was wearing a small bandanna, along with a mash that covered the lower half of his face. His out fit consist of a simple black T-shirt, with dark blue jeans. His eyes, was what captured her attention the most. It was a light shade of brown, with an intense fire burning within.

After a while, he spoke up:" Are you with them?"

"No, I am not."Sephiria responded." I take it that you do not like them much?"

"They were the lowest of the low, scumbag that treads on other people's right for their own profit." His voice were low, she could detect the barely restrained anger in it.

"I see. However, while your actions are commendable, until further notice I must ask you to stand down and surrender."

"I'm afraid I must decline." His stance became tenser, she could see his hands gripping his blades tighter." Judging from the number on your forehead, I take it you are from Chronos?"

", seeing as you has found out about us, i must take you in for further questioning."

And then the battle was shot toward him, slashing horizontaly at his , her opponent raise the white blade to defend himself, while his other arm going for a downward slash. Sephiria dodge to the side, before she lunged at him. He sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the tip of Christ, before he swung both blades down. Chronos's Number one turned around, using the momentum from her dash to deflect the swords away. They trade blow a few more time before both combatant jump away.

"You are quite skilled with those blades."Sephiria was slightly impressed. Few could keep up with her, yet here stand unknown swordsman that has managed to done so.

"I will take that as a compliment. But now I must go." He then turns around and jump thought the window behind immediately followed him while mentally berating her for not noticing the window sooner. She looks around, but found no sight of her opponent.

Sighing, the Number One decides to return to base and report her finding to her superior.

"So, there was another one who got to the intended target first and managed to get away before you could question him?"Sephiria could feel the gaze of the Elders on her kneeling form.

"Yes sir. His motives are unclear, though it does seem that he is sort of a vigilante." She managed keep her voice cool, though she felt a bit bitter about being beaten like that

"Hmm I see. Do not blame yourself Number One, this was an unforeseen situation. However, until we could find out more about this vigilante, we must be extra careful. Number One, lay low and try to find out what you can about this man."

"Yes sir."

"Very well. Remember, be extra careful." With that, the monitors turn black. (Sorry guys, I was planning to have her interact with some other Numbers, but I just can't figure out how. I'll probably come back later to fix this.)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Black Cat nor FSN, their world belongs to Yabuki Kentarou and Kinoko Nasu respectively.

**Chapter 2: Coincidence**

Next morning.

Having received her orders, Sephiria began her search for information concerning this rather stranger man. In the end, all she got from some of the contacts were rumors about a sword user busting up some criminal operations. It seems that the attack on the mansion was his first major move, at least in this city. She has no doubt he has done this before, due to the way he carried himself.

As she begin her walk home, she noticed that a small crowd has gathered around a food stand, one that according to her memories, the food weren't really good. Curious, she make her ways toward it, noticing that people has a lot of good things to say about the new chef. As she sat down, she idly read through the menu. Noting that there wasn't anything new, she make her order, a miso ramen and watched as the head chef gave the order to a young man with reddish brown hair. She began to go through her memories of the night, focusing on her opponent's combat skill. The sound of her food arriving snapped her out of her musing. As she looks up to thank the chef, her eyes found it staring into a pair of very familiar amber eyes.

Time seemed to froze as blue and gold met. She saw a flash of surprise and recognition in the chef's eyes, but it was hidden behind the warm and gentle gaze just as fast as it came.

"Here's your meal. Hope you enjoy it." The chef smiled at her before turning away to work on other customer's food.

She narrowed her eyes. Questions ran through her head: Who is he? What is he doing here? Why? She fought down the urge to interrogate him and opted to observe him instead. From her observations, he was only younger than her for a few years. He was rather lanky, and his build suggest that he favor speed and agility rather than strength. He was wearing a blue sleeved white shirt, blue pants along with a white apron, the only uniform required. (His outfit from FSN)

Cautiously, she tastes her food, and found that it was rather good. There was still the chance the food was poisoned, but judging from the surprise in his eyes, however brief that was, it seems that he did not expect no meet her here. Also, she got a feeling that he wasn't the type to use food to kill other.

"Another one, eh?"The voice of the head chef snapped her out of her reverie.

"Excuse me?" She turned to him, a questioning look in her eyes. It looks like he was taking a small break from work.

"Ever since Shirou, that his name by the way, came to work here a few days ago, we've been getting a lot of customers. He's gotten quite a group of admirers too." Elaborated the chief, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I assure you, my interest in him is nothing of the sort. He just resembled someone I once met." In a mansion, amidst a pile of mentally added.

"Oh, well I apologize. It just, you were staring so intently at him."Embarassed, the chef turned back to work, trying to forget the conversation.

As Sephiria watch the man, Shirou work, she has to wonder. The person from last night and the one standing before her are so different, they might as well be two person. It this all an act? Which one is the real person? Was he acting for revenge, or for something else? The more she though about it, the more she became interest in him.

As she pondered further, a small group entered the stand. One was a young man with spiky brown hair and golden cat like eyes who was wearing a white shirt, blue jacket, black pants and a collar of all things. To his right was man in a white business suit, with an eye patch over his right eye, a case in his right hand. Next was a young girl wearing a black dress and pants of the same color, her blond hair reaching her knee with the bang stopping just above her pink eyes. Another young woman with short black hair, wearing the kimono was chatting with the first man. The last person of this group was a young woman, around 20 years old, with short purple hair and green eyes, wearing a red top and shorts.

The Number one recognized them immediately. This was the group that Chronos's former Number Thirteen, Train Heartnet was travelling with. There was also the Cornelio ex-bioweapon, Eve if she is not mistaken; Sven Vollfield, a detective with Vision Eye, the ability to see into the future and finally, the one in the kimono was Saya Minatsuki, the one responsible for Train's desertion; Rinslet Walker, famous thief-for-hire that, according to rumors, capture the heart of Number Seven , Jenos Hazard. Dismissing them as unimportant for now, she resumed her observation of the red haired man.

"Shirou! One large bowl of oyaku please." Train called out to the chef.

"Coming right up. Do you guys want anything else?"Shirou turned to the rest of the band.

"I'll have a takoyaki.""Shrimp ramen.""A bottle of milk" No thanks, I already eat." Sven, Eve, Saya and Rinslet replied.

As the group waited for their group, Train look around the stand, only to double take at the form of one Sephiria Arks staring at the chef.

"Sephiria? What are you doing here?" Train asked incredulously. Hearing his question, the other three turned to look at her.

"I was enjoying my lunch. I could ask you the same, Train Heartnet."Sephiria replied, her eyes not leaving the target.

Silence followed before Sven tentatively broke it:"Uhh...Why are you staring at Shirou, miss Arks?" He was wary of the woman. She is Chronos's Number One after all.

Before she could reply, Rinslet cut in with a mischievous tone:" Could it be? Someone has finally captured the heart of the legendary Sephiria Arson this is wonderful! I have to tell Jenos!"

Sephiria was about to correct the thief's misconception, only to see that the latter has opened her phone and begin pressing rapidly on the keypad.

"Hello, Jenos? You won't believe what I just found out!"

"Oh really my dear? What could have gotten you so excited?" Came the unmistakable voice of Jenos Hazard from the other hand.

"Your boss, Sephiria, got a crush on someone."Rinslet exclaimed.

Tense silence followed her statement. If a pin were to drop, you could probably hear it touching the ground. It was soon broken however by a number of things.

"NAAAAANIIIIIII?"the scream was so loud that Rinslet let go of her phone

"WAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!"Train has fallen out his chair, laughing all the way. Unfortunately, he also dragged Saya with him.

Sven looked annoyed at Rins's antic, though one could still see the upturn of his lips.

Sephiria sighed. She could already feel the start of a headache.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat nor FSN, their world belongs to Yabuki Kentarou and Kinoko Nasu respectively.

Chapter 3:Rumor

-Chronos's HQ-

In a vastly decorated room, there sat the Chronos Numbers. They were known as the world's best assassins, human beings of extraordinary strength. Currently, they were just here to relax and wait for their next mission. One was reading a book. Yet another was simply watching his comrades. Off to the side, a small poker game had begun. They were all enjoying the peaceful silence, something that was rare in their assassin life.

That silence was broken with a loud exclamation of "NAAAANIIII?" from outside the door. Abruptly, Jenos Hazard barged in, panting lightly. Various heads rose and turned to look at him in curiosity.

"Number Seven" Belze Rochefort spoke up, "What happened?"

"I just got words from an acquaintance of mine." Jenos replied, after taking a moment to catch his breath. His face was contorted into a mixture of disbelief, amusement and shock. "It seems that she just got her hands on information on Sephiria's current activities."

"Oh?" Now they were interested. Sephiria was a very secretive person. Not even Belze, her closest comrade amongst the Numbers, knew what she did during her free time.

"My acquaintance said, and I quote: "Your boss, Sephiria, got a crush on someone!"

Silence.

Chaos soon erupted in the form of various members either beginning to shout or fat out laughing.

"SILENCE!" Belze, ever the serious one, managed to gain control of the situation and calmed everybody down. "Please explain."

"Well, my contact was out with her friend. They had visited a small food stand. Lo and behold, they saw none other than Sephiria Arks, staring very intently at the stands chef."

"I see." Anubis spoke up for the first time, "Then how did she come to this conclusion? Perhaps Lady Sephiria was just looking at something nearby that caught her attention?"

"No, no. One, Number One didn't deny staring at him, my contact said that there was a certain gleam in her eyes. She said that it looked as if Sephiria wanted to eat the guy, if you catch my drift."

"I see. It seems that we must investigate who this mysterious man is." Belze paused, before continuing with a straight face." And find out if he is worthy of our Lady."

'What an eventful day,' Sephiria though to herself as she immersed her body into the warm water bath. 'First I ran into my opponent last night. Then Train and his group. Finally that thief had to go and make up that rumor.'

She has tried to explain herself, saying that he resembled someone she had knew before, and that she did not have a crush on him, despite what rumors stated otherwise.

Unfortunately, while the detective and the blond girl seemed to accept her explanation, the other three did not. The two women countered her first argument with 'Someone you had a crush on, right?' with knowing smirks. She knew that Train was aware of the truth, but it seemed that he wanted a bit of petty vengeance. Not only did he not defend her, he even made some not-so-innocent suggestions about her quiet demeanor and secretive personal life.

'Ugh, and that woman had to go and tell Jenos.' Out of all the Numbers, Jenos was the most carefree and mischievous of them all. He would occasionally play a prank on other Numbers, in the form of surprise traps or attacks that left the target in a less than ideal situation. When asked, he said that he wanted to "Help" his comrades by preparing them for future potential ambushes. They knew it was a lie, but there was some truth to it, thus no punishment was ever dealt, only a harsh scolding from both Sephiria and Belze.

She had no doubt that by now the news of her supposed crush was known to everyone, maybe even the elders.

'At least I managed gain more information about that chef'. Sephiria begin reviewing the information she had gained. Apparently, he's 26 years old, and had just recently moved into the city, along with that Sweeper Saya. It seemed that he saved her from Creed's attack, but no one knew how. He occasionally hunts down some of the more amoral criminals, though he always refuse the proffered reward and asks that they send it to the family of the victims or some charity organization. That had gained him quite a favorable reputation among the more honorable Sweeper, and a large number of females.

How she got this info, well, it seems that rumors do have a use after all. They think that she has a crush on him has allowed them to give her quite a bit of info, in hope that she will be the one to win his heart. Also, from what the black haired woman had said, he is quite skilled with a bow.

"A swordsman and an archer. A killer and a chef. You're quite an interesting person, aren't you Shirou Emiya?" Sephiria mused aloud, the ghost of a smile on her lips.

Next morning

"Sephiria, would you kindly explain the rumor going on around the base?" Just as she predicted, the news had already reached the Elders. Bracing herself, she told them about the information she had learned along with the unexpected run-in with her assailant.

"Hmmm, I see. So that is what occured." The Elders contemplated the situation, before speaking up, "Very well, Number One, you are to continue observing him. See if you can gain more information about him."

"Yes sir."

Later

"Sephiria, could I talk to you?" Belze spoke up when she entered the lounge.

"...This is about the rumor, isn't it?" She had known that this would come up.

"Yes." Short, simple and straight to the point.

"Do you remember Shinji Makoto?"

"Ah yes. Your target the other night, correct? Did something go wrong?" There was a hint of worry in his voice.

"Not exactly. By the time I got there, every one except the ... hostages were dead. It seems that one Shirou Emiya, the one in the rumor, stormed in and killed them."

"All by himself?"

"Yes, he and I engaged in combat for a short while before he managed to get away."

"...That is quite impressive" The voice remained cool, though she could she that his eyebrows had raised a bit. "Is that the reason why you were staring like you wanted to 'eat him'?"

"...Where did you hear that?" Great, another migraine was already forming in her head.

"Jenos. He said that he heard it from his contact," She should have known.

"You could say that. As for how I met him, it was purely coincidence."

"I see." Belze said, turning away. "However, if you ever decide to pursue him, know that we will support your decision." With that, he walked away.

That headache was getting worse. It was then she remembered that to observe her target, she'd have to go back to that stand and run the risk of meeting the group, again.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat nor FSN, their world belongs to Yabuki Kentarou and Kinoko Nasu respectively.

Chapter 4

Sephiria massaged her temples as she waited for her food to arrive. It had been one week since her unexpected run-in with Emiya Shirou. It was also, quite possibly, the most stressed out week of her life yet. Most of it didn't come from her mission, oh no, they came from the constant teasing concerning her relations with the chef. Apparently, teasing Number One had become a new pastime for some of Chronos's Number. The most constant offender being Jenos and David. Occasionally, Emilio and Baldorias would join in, though it's more taunting and scathing remarks than anything else. Thankfully, Belze and Anubis would usually stop them before they got too far out of hand.

Unfortunately, they also use that chance to get in some jibes themselves.

"Are you alright, miss Sephiria?" Shirou asks in concern as he puts down her plate, apparently seeing her actions.

"I'm alright. Thank you for asking, Shirou." She replies, feeling a bit better now that she was in his presence.

Another part of her problems stemmed from her interactions with the chef. She just couldn't figure him out. Sure, she now knew that his current persona wasn't fake, and that he really is a nice guy. Problem is, she can't associate this image with the fighter she saw that night. On the other hand, he knows that she was his opponent that night, yet he hadn't even tried to confront her about it. Also, for some reason, she tends to let down her guards around him more than usual. It was a little bit disturbing, especially for one in her line of work where a dropped guard can mean certain death.

"Are you sure? You really look tired." Shirou spoke up, his eyes radiating his concerns for her wellbeing.

"I'm fine, it's just some stress, that is all." For the briefest of moments, she could have sworn that she felt herself heating up.

"...All right then. If you say so." There was still worry in his voice to indicate otherwise, but it seems that he was willing to let it drop for now.

"Come to see Shirou again, Sephiria?" Train's familiar voice rings out as he enters the stand with his usual group, minus Saya and Eve.

'Great,' Sephiria thought to herself. 'Here come troubles.'

Outside of Chronos, Train was one of the few people who had the gall to tease her.

Rinslet and Saya would be two others. Those two would twist her words to make it seem like she liked Shirou. Sven was too polite and wary of her to do so and Eve doesn't really care.

"I was merely here to eat, Heartnet." Came her terse response.

"Oh really? How many times does that makes it now? Two? Three?" Rinslet asks her, not even trying to hides her intentions.

"...The food here is quite exquisite and not too expensive. Is it so wrong wanting to be pragmatic?" Sephiria replies, continuing to eat despite Rinslet's attempt at teasing. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices Shirou tensing for a moment before relaxing, albeit more guarded than before. Her eyes narrowed, Sephiria ponders on what could have caused him to react like that. It's certainly not Rins's teasing. Whenever Shirou got caught in it, he would just blush and try to stammers his way out. The group usually got a laugh out of his reactions.

"You're staring at him. Again." Train's amusement was clear.

"I was merely observing his work." The reply was short and curt.

"His work? Or his body?" Maybe she did stare too intensely. Her answers were a little snappier than usual.

Deciding not to dignify that question with an answer, Sephiria finished her meal before paying.

"Here's your change. Thank you for visiting out stand." Surprisingly, it was Shirou who handed her the money. Though his smile looked a bit strained. He soon returned to the kitchen to works on the others orders.

As she checked the amount, a habit of hers, she notice a slip of paper among the numbered bills. Curious, she opens it. It reads: "We needs to talk. Meet me at the local park tomorrow, 7:30PM."

Folding the note, she placed it into her pocket before leaving. Never noticing a pair of golden eyes following her, nor its owner grin.

After Sephiria leaves

"Wow, your food is good as usual Shirou." Sven commented as he finishes the last part of his food.

"Thank you. So what are you guys doing today?" Shirou replies as he clears away some of the used discs.

"Well, I'm going to go hunt for this group. Want to help me out, Shirou?" Saya asks the red haired chef.

"Maybe. Who's the target this time?"

"A bunch of smugglers. Their leader's name is uhm, Sasuke something. They're hiding down at the warehouse 23 in the 7th district." Saya fished out a small paper from her obi.

"Sasuke? Wait. Don't tell me you're after the 'Haxxors'? " Sven commented as he recounts the few things he'd heard about that gang.

"Sasuke Ito. Bounty-7 million. Crimes committed: Murder, rape, Trafficking illegal object. Status wanted: Dead or alive." Eve recites the information she has read on the newspaper.

"Sounds like a dangerous guy. All right Shirou, go out there and be a Hero of Justice!" The head chef/manager cries out, while pointing dramatically towards Shirou.

"Eh heh heh ...sure. Looks like I'm in." Shirou sweatdrops at his boss's antics. The man could be really weird sometimes.

After Shirou left for the kitchen, Rinslet decided to voices her question: "Oi Train. What's with that stupid grin on your face? You're been like that ever since that lady left."

"Oh really? Guess I didn't notices." Train replies lightly, the grin never leaving.

"All right, you must have seen something interesting, so talk."

"Well, as she were leaving, I saw her reading a small piece of paper. I'm pretty sure that she found it when she was counting her money."

"Wait, so Shirou was the one who made the first move? Damn it! Looks like I lost the bet with Jenos." Rins pouted.

"Hey, did you saw what was written in there Train?" Saya asks her milk drinking buddy.

"Nope. But we can just follows Shirou. Anyone in?" Train looks around to check if Shirou has heard their little conversation.

"I'm in." Rins and Saya reply at the same time, both grinning mischievously.

"I'm in as well. Someone has to keep you guys out of trouble." Sven volunteered, though his face looks more amused then resigned.

"Princess? You're not coming?" Train asks the little blond girl, whose response was only the shaking of her head, too focused on a book she was reading.

"All right then."

"What were you guys talking about?" Shirou asked as he re-emerges from the kitchen, carrying Train's second serving.

"Oh nothing. And good luck on your hunt tonight."

That night

A lone figure could be seen on the rooftop of a building, staring down at the warehouse below. In his left hand, a sleek black bow could be seen.

"Are you ready?" He asks into the ear piece.

"Yup. Cover for me, okay?" A feminine voice replies.

"Sure, no problem."

Suddenly, an arrow materializes in his remaining hand. Carefully, he angles the bow down below, before firing at the guard stationed on the back door of the warehouse. He then repeated the action three more times, taking down the rest of the guards. He watched as his partner entered from the back.

"Wow. Your accuracy sure is amazing."

"Thank you. How many of them are in there?"

"Around seven. Ito is talking with three of them. Another is guarding the door. Two others are patrolling. I could probably takes out the first five, but the other two are going to be a problem."

"How about I take care of one of them for you?"

"Sure. Take the one nearer to your side. It's easier."

"Hang on a second." He takes a look at the target. He could probably shoot him, but the window would probably alter the path of the arrow so that it wouldn't be fatal. Well, a normal arrow that is.

"I am the bone of my sword," he mutters to himself, another arrow appears. As he took aim, the arrow transforms into an arrow of light. Releasing it, a blue light trailing its path.

It hit the outer wall of the warehouse, just below the window. An explosion soon followed the impact. The archer can heard frantic shout from the other end of the line, before the sounds of gunfire rungs out.

"Are you alright?" he asks as soon as the commotion died down.

"Yeah, I'm fine. That explosion you caused was a nice distraction. How did you that by the way?" His female partner questions him.

"Trade secret." He chuckles into the communication device.

"You're no fun Shirou." The archer could feel his partner pouting on the other hand.

"Just collect the proof we need Saya."


	5. Chapter 5

Swords and Blades

Chapter 5: The Date

Chronos's HQ (Happens on the same day that Shirou slips Sephiria the note, just later)

Belze Rochefort, Number Two walks silently through the corridor. Accompanying him was Number Twelve, Mason Ordrosso. Both had just returned from their respective mission, and after the debriefing were now heading toward the common room where all higher members resides whenever they're free. Both were some of the more quiet members of the group, knowing that this tranquility were a hard thing for one who lives a double life. As the door to the hall appears in their view, they could saw Jenos talking with some one on the phone.

"Is something wrong, Number Seven?" Inquired the old man."No. Just talking with my contact. And now I've got a bet to win." Grinning from ear to ear, Jenos kicked open the door before calling for his partner. "Oi David! You owe me some money!"

"What? No way!" The black man cried out as he looked up "I don't believe you! Where's your proof?"

"Just finished talking to Rinslet. Apparently she saw Sephy-nee eating at that stand again. Said that Train told her he saw Sephiria reading something before leaving the place." Saying that, Jenos holds out his hand "Now fork it over."

"Would you care to enlighten us on what is going on, Number Nine?" Belze asked as David took out his wallet.

"Jenos and I have a bet on who will make the first move. Jenos bet on the chef while I bet on Number One. He said that Number One was too shy to do it." Grumbled David as he gives Jenos a rather large amount of money.

"Oh? Do you have any other bet?" Emilio Lowe, Number Three spokes up from his book.

"Why yes! Are you interested?" Jenos cheerfully replied "We've got a pool on who is going to make the first move, which was just closed, when are they going to confess, where will they go for their first date and when they will go to third base. So which pool would you like to partake on?"

The rest of the Numbers, sans David, blinked at the same time.

"Just when did you set this up, Jenos?" Anubis asks as he raised his head from the couch.

"A few days ago actually."

"And is there anyone else interested in this bull?" Number VIII, Baldorias Fanghini asks with a sneer on his face.

"Quite a lot of people actually. It seems that many of the lower members want to see the womanly side of the legendary Sephiria Arks." This time it wasn't Jenos, but David, who answered the question.

"Interesting. And you're the one recording the bet?" Franz Maduke spoke up, a contemplative looks on his face.

"Nah. Dr. McCoy is the referee, seeing as he isn't interested in it."

"Dr. McCoy? The therapist?" Mason spokes up for the first time since the conversation started.

"Yeah."

"And how do you plan on checking their situation?" The wolf asks, his face twisted into a grimace due to the fact that he can't take part in this.

"That's easy. Rinslet is really interested in those two, and she usually tells me whenever something exciting happens. And if you don't believe me, you can ask Shao Li." Jenos replies with a wave of his hand.

"Shao Li? The new Number Ten?" This time it was Belze.

"Yup. Apparently, the kid can disguises as anybody he wants. He also really admires Sephy-nee, so he volunteered for the duty of watching the chef, saying that he wants to makes sure the guy is right for her." The gambler snickers to himself.

"I see. Does Sephiria know about this?" Mason looks between the 'Mischievous Duo', as some of the Erasers called them.

"Nope. We plan to keep this secret from her."

"Very well. Tell Number Ten that I want an assessment of the target when he's done." With that, the spear wielder walks out of the door.

"Huh. Didn't know he was interested. Ah well. Alright! Who wants to follows Sephy-nee on her first date?"

"Count me in." David and Jenos high-fived each other.

"I'll pass." Emilion, Franz, Barlugas and Mason spokes up at the same , a blue furred paw rises up in the air. Everyone turns to looks at the wolf, whose response was a shrug "Someone has to keep you guys out of trouble."

Somewhere in the city, Sven sneezes and wondered why he got the urge to shake hands with a wolf of all things.

D-Day - Local Park - West Gate.

"He's late" Sephiria mutters to herself as she checks her watch. It read 7:40PM. Closing her eyes, she began a small meditation exercise to help her focus and analyze the date for some of the upcoming mission. But for some reason, a feeling of irritation kept creeping up every now and then, making her concentration falter. Rubbing her temples, she decides that she wouldn't be able to concentrate properly any more. The best course of action to take regarding the situation is to wait for her supposed red-headed companion. She wonders why he is late, seeing as he has a reputation of being the first at the food stand, cleaning and preparing for work even before the manager arrives.

"Miss Sephiria." Speak of the devil. It seems that her companion for the night had arrived. Somehow, that phrase sounded wrong, but she ignores it.

"Sorry I'm late, ran into some troubles along the way." Shirou sends her an apologetic smile.

"It's fine." She has to look to the side to evade his smile "Did you take care of it?"

"Yes I di-" The smiles was replaced with a frown, before he suddenly grab her hand and began dragging her away." I'm sorry, but it looks like we have to have this conversation elsewhere."

She nods at him, deciding to keep quiet. She reasoned to herself that for someone like him to be unnerved, it has to be something serious. It was not because that she could feel his calloused hand wrapping around her, nor was it because that this feels surprisingly nice.

As they both moved away, they never notice a slight movement from one of the bush near the park.

After moving around the city for a while, eventually Shirou decided to takes Sephiria to a small restaurant on the other side of town. They chose a table in the corner, with Shirou reasoning that their discussion shouldn't be heard.

"What it is that you wanted to discuss with me?" After they ordered some drinks, the blond beauty immediately asked Shirou the question that was nagging at her.

"Did your organization send someone to watch me?"

"None so far. Why? Is someone following you?" Her eyes narrowed at that. As far as she was concerned, the Elders only assigned her to watch Shirou Emiya.

"You could say that. It started a few days ago. Wherever I went, every now and then I would sense someone staring at me, but when I turned around nobody was in sight. Well, nobody that was watching me at least."

"I see. I shall check with some others to verify your suspicion." She took a small sip of tea to calm down her nerves. Why was she getting so agitated over this? "Are there any other reason that you wanted to talk to me?"

"Uh... yes." His posture shifted, becoming rather embarrassed and apologetic." I wanted to apologize to you"

"Excuse me?" She blinked.

"Well, it was partially my fault that you got dragged into this mess. If I have been more careful, you wouldn't have to endure the other's teasing and having to watch me." Another apologetic smile was sent her way and she evaded it once again.

"... Do not worry about it." Truthfully, while she was getting stressed with the amount of teasing, both by Train's group and by the Numbers, she somehow felt more relaxed then usual. It was then that she noticed something on Shirou's collar. Leaning over to inspect it, she absently notices that he smelled rather nice...

Shaking her head slightly, she resumed her task. Still, where did that thought come from?

"Um, Miss Sephiria, what are you doing?" Shirou was fidgeting slightly, his face turning a bit red.

"It seems that someone managed to bug you" Her hands reach out and grabbed the small device, smashing it to pieces.

"Ehh?"

"We must move. This place might be compromised." This time, she was the one dragging him out of the place, pausing only to pay for the drinks.

Eventually, the pair returned to the park where their little "date", as some other called it, started. They had stumbled across a pond with a red bridge crosses over it, the surface reflecting the light of the full moon. The place has a certain feel of tranquility to it, so both of them agreed to stop there.

"Could you explain your reasons for attacking Shinji Makoto? While your actions are very honorable, I find it quite hard to believe that someone would go out of their way to save others just like that."

Sighing, Shirou leaned on the bridge's railing, a nostalgic expression etched onto his face as he stared at the moon. After a while, he told her of the Fuyuki Fire, of how Kiritsugu Emiya found him, of the looks of joy on his face, of his father's dream and of his wish to follow them.

As he finished his story, he turned to looks at his blond companion. He has to admit, Sephiria is a beautiful woman, her features enhanced even more under the gentle moonlight.

"That is ... quite a story, Shirou."

Another tense silence followed, before Shirou stood up straight and addressed her with another apologetic smile. However, she didn't evade it in time. Her face heating up, and she felt strangely self-conscious at that time.

"Well, I apologize but we will have to part ways for now. I truly enjoyed our meeting, Sephiria." With that, he began walking the other way.

Arks stared at the retreating back of the red headed swords man. A part of her mind was analyzing the information she has gathered.

Another part was simply recalling the night her, the winds gently blow, caressing her hair. Pink Sakura petals from a nearby tree dance in the air. As she tried to tame her hair, a small smile formed on her lips.

"You are quite an interesting person, Shirou Emiya." She soon leaves the bridge, her smile never fading one bit.


End file.
